A question for dog owners

[Littleelffriend]

I don't have a dog. I live in a new build estate where fences at front gardens are not allowed. Every day the neighbours dog poos in my garden. We have only lived here since March and the neighbours are very nice. This has been happening for about a month. 2 weeks ago I went to the door. They apologised profusely and it stopped for a few days. For the past 4 days it's happened again. I've just been to the door again. They let their dogs just wander about the cul design sac shitting in my garden. What can I do?

[Floralnomad]

The dog should not be wandering around out the front on its own , speak to your neighbours again and keep doing so until they get it .

[Littleelffriend]

I know, they actually have 2 and they both do it. We all have big back gardens so they could let them out there. I don't want to fall out with them.

[GreyHare]

Are they picking it up? if not then I would bag it up and put it outside there door every time and possibly call the dog warden, as dogs shouldn't be allowed to wander about freely on a road fouling in neighbours gardens.

[pigsDOfly]

Well they clearly don't care about falling out with you OP and they're probably banking on you not wanting to make a fuss and have bad feelings with your neighbours.

I second talking to the dog warden. It's illegal to allow your dog to wander around the street out of control and not on a lead and letting your dog poo on someone else's garden whether you clean it up or not, which i suspect they don't, is just bloody rude and disgusting.

Like you I live in a place that's open plan and I never let my dog near other people's gardens let alone poo on them. Horrible behaviour.

[Littleelffriend]

They pick it up after I go to the door. It just makes me wonder where they think the dog is pooping?
Greyhare I agree but I couldn't bring myself to bag it.

[AlcoChocs]

They probably let it out to poo to avoid it going in their back garden .
Agree with PPs, contact the dog warden as it's out of control if wandering about on its own.
Neighbours don't have to know its you who reported, others must've noticed and been concerned as well.

[Littleelffriend]

Yeah it's totally unacceptable isn't it. I'll give them one last chance then call the dog Warden.

[sugarplumfairy28]

Totally feeling your pain here OP. In a previous house we were on the corner, every day an older man would walk his dog, same time, sometimes he would actually pick the poop but then leave the bag along the property line, other times nothing just the poo. I basically had a wonderful border the full length of our fence of red dog poo bags interspersed with poo.

One day he was outside my kitchen window and DH saw him stop, we stood there and watched him let his dog poo. Just as he was about to walk off and leave it DH called out the window, "Are you going to pick that up?", and waved his phone he had been filing him on. The guy got a bag, bent down and pretended to pick it up. DH basically had to stand there and point out he could still see it, and nag him to not only pick it up, but then not to leave it on the floor. The guy ended up being fined as we reported him, twice actually as the council came and installed a poop bin on the corner and he still did it!

[CloudPirate]

You can report it, there should be an online form on the council website. If you can tell them where said dog lives etc then they should be able to follow it up easily.

I cannot. cannot CANNOT understand dog owners who don't pick up after their dog. We no longer use the park a few metres from our house to walk our dog, as someone started just leaving dog poo there... surely if you leave it where you walk your dog, you are just as likely to step in it as anyone else?!

Ahem... rant over... seem to have touched a nerve there

[Littleelffriend]

It's just disgusting. I'm scared to report as they will know it's me. My partner is away a lot so I'm home on my own with the baby and don't want any hassle.

[MajesticSeaFlapFlap]

Take pics so they can't deny it and give them to the dog warden

[Littleelffriend]

The thing is they're not denying it. The first time I went to the door she said how ashamed she was and gave me a card and present to apologise

[sparechange]

I would go over and say 'the dog poo in my front garden is becoming a real issue, and we need to get this sorted now, before the baby is walking. Can you please either use the back garden, or keep the dogs on a lead in the front garden so they stay in your garden?
I understand that dogs like to poo in the same place/where they can smell poo, so this is only going to get worse now they have started to associate my garden with pooing.
I know you are reasonable people, so I don't want to go to the dog warden about this, so I was hoping we could work out how to stop it from now on.'

And then hopefully it will stop now, rather than dragging on for more weeks until the dog warden gets involved

[peanutnutty]

Definitely ring the dog warden.

Do they just wander round for a while without them watching? If so, maybe you could 'find' them and report to the warden as stray. If they aren't tagged/chipped, it'll cost them a fair bit to get them released from kennels. Or would that be naughty ?

[Littleelffriend]

Yeah they just leave their front door open so the dogs can wander in and out unsupervised. I have said that I'm concerned that when my baby starts toddling she'll touch it. They are getting one more chance then the dog Warden is getting called. Thanks for all the replies, I'm glad no one thinks I'm being unreasonable.

[SavoyCabbage]

I also live in anew build estate where fences and hedges are not allowed. But people have them anyway. I'm sure it would have been an issue when they were selling the houses but after that people put them up.

[Ellieboolou27]

As a dog owner / lover and someone who works with dogs for a living i cannot abide dog owners who do not clean up after their dogs, or just leave their dogs to wonder round off lead without the owners! Picking up dog poo is part of dog ownership, not nice but a park or pavement full of poo is awful.

[TrollyDollyPolly]

Just tell them you have put down slug pellets (or other chemical) that are not pet safe so you would hate them to get sick. Then liberally scatter your garden with ones that are OK so it looks like it. It that doesn't make them more careful then go the dog warden route.

I have a dog and pick up after her, but I also have an old scoop that I use to catapult the cat shit back into my neighbours garden with.

Forget the above, build a trebuchet!

[LyndaNotLinda]

Trolly - you catapault cat shit into your neighbour's garden?! FFS

I'd just go straight to the dog warden Little - you've spoken to them once and they're still doing it.

Any of your neighbours could have called the dog warden - I would if I saw a dog regularly wandering around on my street on its own, even if it wasn't shitting in my front garden.

[Littleelffriend]

Apparently you can buy a really low voltage electric fence which after one shock puts them off. I imagine that would start a war though.

[Lilacpink40]

You could treat your grass with a moss killer. Take the box around first and say you'd just like them to know before you do it as you're not always in to keep their dog off your grass.

Obviously buy a safe one, but then if their dog does it again and you report to a warden you can say you didn't want the dog to get ill. They can't complain that you're OTT if you say you don't want their dog to get ill. Once your baby is toddling you can then talk about your DCs welbeing. They sound so lazy!

[Littleelffriend]

It's just happened again I'm fucking livid. I go to the kitchen, dog is shitting in my garden. Their front door is wide open. I go to the door. Ring the door bell 3 times. No answer. I've put a note through asking them to pick it up. I'm so angry.

[Pogmella]

Citronella keeps our dog away from stuff. Maybe tell them you've heard there are dog thieves targeting your estate along with the slug pellet thing?

[Littleelffriend]

It's the dog Warden tomorrow couldn't give a shit if it starts ill feeling bunch of inconsiderate wankers.

[MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig]

As someone else said, they clearly couldn't care less about your reaction so I wouldn't worry about reporting them. Unfortunately you have arseholes for neighbours.